RESIDENTS in Lenasia’s Extension 11b are fed up with the crime in the area which seems to be increasing on a weekly basis.
According to a resident, every week for the past three months, there has been a housebreaking, an attempted hijacking, or a robbery
allegedly by the same trio. In the latest attack, a 64-year-old man was robbed of his valuables.
Mr Madi Naidoo, had just returned from his daughter’s house at around 8 pm and stopped at his gate waiting for his garage to open. “It just happens that my garage door was jammedand took longer to open than usual,” Mr Naidoo told the Rising Sun.
He says he was accosted by a man who forcefully opened the driver’s door and pointed a firearm at his head. Two more accomplices exited the veld opposite the house and joined the perpetrator.
“They dragged me out of the car to the passenger side, where they started beating me,” he said.
At this point, his son, who was inside the garage, managed to open the garage door and run to his aid. He too, however, was threatened with the firearm.
“As I ran out of the garage and attempted to tackle this man, he cocked the gun, causing me torun back into the garage. He followed me and demanded the phone in my hand before making a run for it,” the son said.
During the scuffle, three shots were fired, according to Mr Naidoo, beforethe man disappeared into the veld. He said that while being beaten, he called for his neighbour, Mr Dan Nkgadima. His son was screaming for Mr Nkgadima through a small window inside the garage.
Crime in the area has, according to residents, risen dramatically in the past month. They say they believe the thieves also, like many South Africans follow the load-shedding schedule.
Two weeks ago, a house in the same street was robbed. The occupants were bound, and the house ransacked. Here too, three males had been involved. Prior to that, a woman was robbed on the street several houses away. A security guard was held up and robbed of his cellphone at a nearby school,and a businessman was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash.
“They come out in the thick of the darkness, during load-shedding. Although I was robbed just as the lights had returned, most robberies are committed during load-shedding. Residents also believe the overgrown veld enables the criminals to conduct their criminal escapades.
According to Lenasia Ward 9 councillor Imraan Moosa, the veld is privately owned land and must be maintained by the owner.
Mr Nkgadima expressed his disappointment in the conduct of officers at the Lenasia Police Station.
According to him, the police were called out to the scene, and when they arrived, they asked that the victim, who had been injured during the attack, give his statement at the police station, where he had to sit for two hours.
“The police came to thescene and told the victim that the station commander wanted to see him. Why could they not take the statement where the crime took place? Our police station has collapsed. It is no longer functional – we need a solution to this,” Mr Nkgadima said.
Attempts to get comment on the matter from the Lenasia SAPS was unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
A follow up story will be published once comment has been received.
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